RAM ‘D’ Type JAGUAR SOLD

• RAM D-TYPE JAGUAR RE-CREATION
• Reynard Racing designed backbone space frame chassis
• GRP composite  body
• Aluminum bulkhead and panels
  
• RHD
•  Team Ecurie Ecosse blue
  
• Jaguar 3.8 engine
• Triple Weber carbs
• "Dunlop" alloy wheels
• SPAX adjustable shocks
• Smiths gauges, with counter-rotation speedo and tachometer
• Correct style wood Moto-Lita steering wheel
• Gray leather interior
• Lucas Tri-bar headlights
• Removeable hard passenger side cockpit tonneau cover
• Faithful re-creation of one of the iconic sports racing cars of the late 1950's

SOLD

MORE DETAILS AND PHOTOGRAPHS COMING SOON
A brief history of the D Type follows the photographs......

Although it had no official name but names like C-Type Mk II and D-Type were rumoured, the latter stuck. It was the first Jaguar to use a monocoque type chassis. Attached to the monocoque was a front subframe, carrying the engine and front suspension. On the six cars built in 1954, the subframe was welded to the monocoque, but on later cars it was bolted on for easy detachment. Of course the disc brakes from the C-Type were carried over.

Again Jaguar relied on the XK engine, but some modifications were made to limit frontal area. The sump was halved in height by switching from wet to dry-sump lubrication. The engine was also mounted at an 8-degree angle, with the off-centre bump in the engine-cover as a result. Mechanically, the only difference between the 1954 and 1955 works cars was the use of larger valves on the latter. Extra space was required to house the larger valves. Frontal area was not sacrificed as the 1955 works D-Types were the first  Jaguars to use an asymmetrical head that would come to be known as the '35/40 head'. The intake valves were mounted at 35 degrees, whereas the exhaust valves were mounted at 40 degrees.

As mentioned earlier, a small frontal area was high at the Jaguar priority list. This was to allow for high top speeds at the long Le Mans straights. To ensure stability at speeds of over 150 mph, the D-Type was equipped with a big fin behind the pilot's headrest. Works cars built in 1955 were equipped with a longer nose for even higher top speeds. This was very indicative of Jaguar's strategy, which had Le Mans as the only priority and D-Type drivers often suffered on slower tracks, where the slippery bodies offered no downforce what so ever.

Four cars were entered in the 1954 Le Mans 24 Hours, including the prototype. Although the Jaguars were on the pace, it was not enough to match the 4.9 litre Ferrari of Gonzales / Trintignant. In 1955 Jaguar returned with the large valve engined long nose D-Types to take the marque's third victory. They faced strong competition from the high-tech Mercedes-Benz SLRs, but the German team withdrew after one of their cars was launched into the crowd, killing dozens of spectators. For good reasons, the organizers decided to continue the race.

At the time of Mercedes-Benz' retirement, the top op placed Jaguar of Mike Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb chased the leading SLR of Moss and Fangio by two laps. Now that they were out, there was little competition for Jaguar, especially as all of the powerful Ferraris retired due to accidents or mechanical failures and the Brits claimed their third Le Mans win. In the following two years, Jaguar's owners were successfully defended by the Ecurie Ecosse team. In 1956 the Works cars crashed out early in the race and Jaguar had given up on racing altogether in 1957.

Rule changes, limiting the displacement to 3 litres, left the D-Types pretty much obsolete for 1958. Jaguar did supply a three litre version of the XK-engine, but it was no match for the competition. Dozens of short-nose production D-Types were sold to privateers, which successfully campaigned them on both sides of the Atlantic. To get rid of the remaining chassis, Jaguar equipped them for road use and sold them as the XKSS model. After only sixteen examples were produced a fire in the factory abruptly ended the run. With three Le Mans wins, the Jaguar D-Type remains as one of the most successful racing cars ever. In both road going XKSS and racing D-Type guise, it is also one of the most desirable Jaguar models.